Books like 'Empire of Shadows'
Readers who enjoyed Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy victorian m-f slow burn independent heroine siblings-bff competent heroine virgin heroine friends to lovers
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A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell returns in another adventure filled with secrets and betrayal from Deanna Raybourn, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries. Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell is whisked off to a remote island off the tip of Cornwall when her natural historian colleague Stoker's brother calls in a favor...Categorized as:
victorian m-f friends to lovers slow burn heroine sleuth suspense mystery historical -
![Fantasy of Flight by Kelly St. Clare]()
Fantasy of Flight by Kelly St. Clare
My veil is gone and I need it back. Stuck in the lethal Outer Rings of Glacium, I must fight to survive while keeping my true identity the gravest of secrets. Only then can I continue the search for Prince Kedrick's murderer and navigate my way back to King Jovan's castle. No one can discover I'm the Tatuma of Osolis - the princess of their enemy world. .Categorized as:
m-f slow burn competent heroine virgin heroine fantasy new adult high fantasy strong heroine -
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![The Daring Debutante by Tracy Sumner]()
The Daring Debutante by Tracy Sumner
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"A delicious mix of grumpy/sunshine, childhood-friends-to-lovers, and forbidden desire—this book sizzles from the first page! " — ★★★★★ Amazon Review, M. Lawson. Welcome to the next generation in the Duchess Society! Nigel Streeter has everything a man in 1840s London could want—wealth, power, and the armor of indifference... -
![The Dragons of Pemberley by Maria Grace]()
The Dragons of Pemberley by Maria Grace
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHomecomings never live up to expectations. After a visit to London that nearly cost her everything, Lady Elizabeth Darcy, Dragon Sage, desperately needs the solace of her country home, Pemberley. Sir Fitzwilliam Darcy, knight of the Pendragon Order and Keeper to Pemberley, counts the minutes until Pemerbley's walls protect his family once more. Their homecoming cannot happen soon enough... -
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![These Immortal Truths by Rachelle Raeta]()
These Immortal Truths by Rachelle Raeta
Both epic and intimate, These Immortal Truths is a powerful and romantic historical fantasy that explores not only what it means to live forever, but what it means to live fully. A shapeshifting god. A divine peach. And a woman gifted with forever. Anna is used to hunger and hardship...Categorized as:
m-f competent heroine historical fantasy length-medium sweet heroine magic audiobook -
![Wedded to the Wanton Witch by S.L. Prater]()
Wedded to the Wanton Witch by S.L. Prater
The Bargainer …. Just like the fae of legend, Jonas Moen makes advantageous deals no desperate soul can turn away. A talented trickster, he’s amassed such great wealth he’s rumored to have more gold than the king himself. But there’s one thing he’s yet to acquire: a fae lord’s title. Born a commoner, he continues to be denied entry to the best the Lunar Court has to offer... -
![He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters]()
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratings1914 finds archaelogists Amelia Peabody, narrator, and husband Radcliffe Emerson back in Egypt for another dig, despite civil unrest. Defiantly pacifist son Ramses hides his spy activity with cousin David. He rescues Molly 12ish, and his dazzling smile conquers yet another female. An artifact from Giza confirms the return of archnemesis Sethos. -
![Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey]()
Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey
Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn, the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts - the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow...Categorized as:
competent heroine friends to lovers independent heroine m-f fantasy magic bisexual first-person-pov -
![Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell]()
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. It was partly written whilst Gaskell was staying with the salon hostess Mary Elizabeth Mohl at her home on the Rue de Bac in Paris. When Mrs Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, it was not quite complete, and the last section was written by Frederick Greenwood. -
![Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr]()
Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baehr
As a Victorian clergyman’s daughter, Edith Worms has seen everything — until a mythical salamander tumbles out of the fireplace into her lap. When a letter arrives from estranged relatives, Edith is swept away to a crumbling gothic Abbey in the wilds of Yorkshire...Categorized as:
victorian m-f slow burn competent heroine independent heroine fantasy mystery historical -
![How to Tame a Beastly Lord by Bree Wolf]()
How to Tame a Beastly Lord by Bree Wolf
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 23 ratingsA fallen lady. .. A beastly lord. .. And a night out in the woods. Unmarried and with child, Lady Eugenie enters into a marriage of convenience to save herself and her unborn child from society's censure... -
![버려진 나의 최애를 위하여 [Beoryeojin Na-eui Choeaereul Wihayeo] by Seonyu Kim, 김선유]()
버려진 나의 최애를 위하여 [Beoryeojin Na-eui Choeaereul Wihayeo] by Seonyu Kim, 김선유
N차 정주행을 했을 정도로 좋아한 로판 소설에 빙의했다. 평민이지만 돈 많은 평민의 몸에 빙의한 덕분에,. 나는 몰락 귀족의 신분을 사 귀족가의 연회를 다니며 원작 속 인물들의 로맨스를 관전했다. 그렇게 엔딩까지 보고 현실로 돌아가나 싶었는데……. 웬걸, 엔딩 후에도 빙의에서 풀려나지 않고 원작 속에서의 인생을 살게 되었다. 그러다 보니 알고 싶지 않은 비하인드 이야기까지 알게 되어 버렸다. 내 최애인 서브남 카엘루스가 죽어 버린 것이다. 그가 없는 원작 속에서 피폐하게 살아가던 나는 결국 병이 들어 죽음을 맞이했다. 이제 현실로 돌아가나 싶더니, 무슨 운명의 장난인지 하루아침에 소설 엔딩 직후로 회귀했다. 이건 분명…… 내 최애를 살리라는 뜻이겠지?Categorized as:
m-f slow burn competent heroine fantasy historical magic time travel class difference -
![A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn]()
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn
Veronica Speedwell and her natural historian colleague Stoker are asked by Lady Wellingtonia Beauclerk to help with a potential scandal so explosive it threatens to rock the monarchy...Categorized as:
victorian m-f friends to lovers slow burn competent heroine heroine sleuth historical mystery -
![A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn]()
A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
London, 1887. At the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women, Victorian adventuress Veronica Speedwell meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task--saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution... -
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![Illuminator by Kara Voorhees Reynolds]()
Illuminator by Kara Voorhees Reynolds
Helena Tefraine was abducted from her homeland alongside her teenage daughter, her two closest friends, and other women who were in the wrong chapel at the wrong time. She finds herself in Tintar, the only known country in her world where magic exists...Categorized as:
m-f competent heroine independent heroine slow burn fantasy historical length-medium magic -
![Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly]()
Amnesty by Lara Elena Donnelly
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe revolution has come and gone, with Amberlough City striving to rebuild itself from the ashes. The Ospies have been ousted, and the very face of the nation has been changed in the process. Now, a rising politician is determined to bring Amberlough’s traitors to justice. Including double agent Cyril DePaul. Everyone believes Cyril deserves to suffer for his crimes. . -
![Castle of the Winds by Christina Baehr]()
Castle of the Winds by Christina Baehr
At Midsummer’s Eve, the Red Dragon will choose his bride. Following this mysterious invitation, Edith sets off on a quest to the Castle of the Winds to find a lost family of dragon keepers in the mountains of Wild Wales. But all is not as it seems. Edith must guard her own hidden power, or she might not return to her friends in Ormdale—including the man who has come to love her...Categorized as:
victorian m-f independent heroine fantasy new adult historical glimpses-kisses christian -
![This Rotting Heart by Celeste Baxendell]()
This Rotting Heart by Celeste Baxendell
A princess without a heart. A dying land. A king who will do anything to save his people, even force an alchemist to marry him. Princess Hellebore loves nothing more than she loves decay. It is her specialty as an alchemist, and she expects her skill will serve her well when she one day takes her aunt’s position and becomes her brother’s alchemist... -
![How to Turn a Frog into a Prince by Bree Wolf]()
How to Turn a Frog into a Prince by Bree Wolf
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA barefoot maiden. A painfully proper gentleman. And a friendship most unexpected. After losing her entire family to a horrible sickness, Miss Charlaine Palmer leaves Jamaica and crosses an ocean, hoping for a new beginning in England. Unfortunately, her raven-black hair and olive skin immediately mark her as an outsider, eyed suspiciously by the English ton... -
![Betting the Scot (The Highlanders of Balforss) by Jennifer Trethewey]()
Betting the Scot (The Highlanders of Balforss) by Jennifer Trethewey
Declan Sinclair is a Highlander who believes his dreams never lie. When he spots Caya at a public house, he knows instantly she is the woman in his dreams—his future wife. Though her brother had promised never to gamble again, he engages Declan in a card game—and the prize is the lovely Caya. Caya Pendarvis has no time for childish things like dreams or fairy-tales or love... -
![Third Degree Yearn by Laney Hatcher]()
Third Degree Yearn by Laney Hatcher
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhen I was just a girl, I gave my heart to the housekeeper’s son. He took it with him when he left and I never got it back. I’ve loved Julian Moore for as long as I can remember. But my plans for a future were stolen before we ever got the chance. Playmates at four. Constant companions at nine. And the undisputed love of my young life by sixteen. We were best friends through it all... -
![A Weave of Lies by E. M. Riedl]()
A Weave of Lies by E. M. Riedl
A dark fantasy romance standalone that delivers a high-tension, enemies-to-lovers tale where one murder could cost a witch her heart—and her life. Only a madman or a desperate fool would walk uninvited into a witch’s lair. So … which one is he? The witch Semras sees her quiet life in the woods upended the day Inquisitor Estevan Velten walks into her home...Categorized as:
m-f forced proximity competent heroine independent heroine fantasy length-epic mystery angst -
![With Everything I Have by R. Cooper]()
With Everything I Have by R. Cooper
Sebastian has a problem. He's in love with his best friend Peter and has been since their schooldays when they were outcasts together. His pining is so obvious that all of London knows, even his frustrated mother who just wants him to be happy. The only person who doesn't know is Peter... -
![Destiny Redeemed by Vanessa Rhoswen]()
Destiny Redeemed by Vanessa Rhoswen
The game has changed, but the stakes remain deadly. .. Lady Ilyana D'Arcane thought she could outmaneuver fate, but the past refuses to stay buried. Newly divorced and determined to forge her own path, Ilyana builds her empire from the shadows, a new threat emerges – one that could unravel everything she's fought to protect...Categorized as:
m-f slow burn competent heroine independent heroine virgin heroine time travel fantasy medieval -
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![穿成囚禁男主的反派要如何活命 How to Survive As a Villain by Yi Yi Yi Yi, 伊依以翼]()
穿成囚禁男主的反派要如何活命 How to Survive As a Villain by Yi Yi Yi Yi, 伊依以翼
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 15 ratings萧予安穿书了。. 穿成了种马小说里囚禁男主，之后被男主给活活剜死的断袖少年君王。. 凄惨，悲凉。. 于是萧予安开始为了能活下去而努力。. 但是！. 那些路人甲乙丙丁，你们想要搞男主也就算了，能不能不要老把他送我床上来啊？萧予安觉得自己是宠男主没错，可是那是因为他想沐浴主角光辉啊！. 萧予安：“不要再把男主当我的禁脔了！！！你们不怕死，可是我想活啊！！！”. 还有男主啊，你在原小说里可是有夜御十女的丰功伟绩的，能不能好好地追你的老婆们啊？为什么你的大小三四五老婆都和别人跑了！你还一脸无所谓的样子！. 等等，这好像都是萧予安自己的锅？. 大概是一个前期受宠攻，后期攻宠受的故事。 轻松！搞笑！. 作者爬墙注意. "How to Survive as a Villain". Xiao YuAn trasmigrated into a novel...Categorized as:
friends to lovers forced proximity fantasy historical m-m from hate to love bad boys queer -
![Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros]()
Yours Until Dawn by Teresa Medeiros
Gabriel Fairchild's valor during battle earns him the reputation of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancée he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights... -
![A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd]()
A Daughter of Fair Verona by Christina Dodd
I’m the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet. Yes, that Romeo and Juliet. No, they didn’t die in the tomb. They’re alive and well and living in fair Verona with their six wildly impetuous children and me, their nineteen-year-old daughter Rosaline…...Categorized as:
independent heroine competent heroine m-f slow burn fantasy medieval mystery suspense -
![His Convenient Duchess by Louise Allen]()
His Convenient Duchess by Louise Allen
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 7 ratingsA witty Regency romp. "You are a lady of breeding…. And would make an excellent duchess…". Not the most romantic of proposals, but Marcus Cranford knows it will be accepted for Lady Rose Trafford desperately needs a convenient husband to protect her and her beloved younger sisters...Categorized as:
virgin heroine m-f historical marriage of convenience poor heroine abduction regency christian -
![A Lady Most Dangerous by Caroline Hanson]()
A Lady Most Dangerous by Caroline Hanson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHelen Foster was saved from a watery grave by her BFF from the future and knows she’s lucky to be alive. Sadly, she’s not so lucky in love. Her blackmailed benefactor, Edward Clifton, the Duke of Somervale, thinks she’s dead. And Helen has to make sure it stays that way... -
![How to Catch a Sinful Marquess by Amy Rose Bennett]()
How to Catch a Sinful Marquess by Amy Rose Bennett
A reserved debutante and a former soldier make an unlikely but fated match as they hasten for the Isle of Skye. Orphaned heiress Olivia de Vere should have the world--or at least the men of the ton--at her feet. But when she's thrown out of a young ladies' academy, Olivia doubts she'll ever find someone who will love her, rather than her bank account...Categorized as:
victorian virgin heroine historical medieval regency fantasy high fantasy length-medium -
![Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue by Julia Quinn]()
Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue by Julia Quinn
We can't really say more without giving away a big, fat spoiler, but it turns out that Colin is a bit of a meddler, Hyacinth is more of a meddler, and the only time all of the Bridgertons stop talking at once is when Penelope has something really embarrassing to say. Hey, we never said it was easy to marry a Bridgerton, just that it was fun. -
![The Song of the Marked by S.M. Gaither]()
The Song of the Marked by S.M. Gaither
An ancient evil is stirring. The old gods are growing restless. Can she stop the coming storm? A Devastating Sickness. For decades, the Kethran Empire has been plagued by a strange illness that leaches the very life and soul from its victims. The Girl Who Survived. Casia is one of the Fade-Marked—one of the few people who caught this sickness and lived...Categorized as:
m-f forced proximity slow burn competent heroine independent heroine fantasy medieval historical -
![The Sapphire Heiress by Ella Leon]()
The Sapphire Heiress by Ella Leon
A pirate who walks amongst the highest circles of society. A governess desperate to escape servitude. In Victorian England, the Silver Order has kept its supernatural discoveries hidden for centuries. Those who seek its secrets must always pay a price…...Categorized as:
victorian m-f competent heroine historical pirates fantasy length-medium behind-doors -
![Jeweler to the Blessed by Jillian Witt]()
Jeweler to the Blessed by Jillian Witt
Rated: 3.78 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn a kingdom where touch drains emotions for power, Emberline masks hers, but when she becomes the key to the Blessed’s magic, her broody bodyguard could make her feel too much. His touch would be her undoing. With a single touch, the ruling Blessed could realize Emberline Arkova is immune to their magic...Categorized as:
m-f forced proximity competent heroine slow burn fantasy magic new adult length-long -
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![Queen to the Sunless Court by Avie Adams]()
Queen to the Sunless Court by Avie Adams
The divine trials are meant to break them. Their forbidden love could save them. Calliste never expected to fall in love with a godless king. When her jealous patron god discovers her secret, he vows to have her at any cost—even if that means stranding her in the Underworld. It’s there that she learns Theron’s own dark past has come for his son... -
![Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn]()
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for. .. well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret. .. and fears she doesn't know him at all... -
![The Viscount Who Vexed Me by Julia London]()
The Viscount Who Vexed Me by Julia London
Rated: 3.77 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsDaring. Darling. Determined. Next to the Season’s newest diamond , Harriet (Hattie) Woodchurch feels like a plain Jane. But that’s of no consequence, since Hattie’s plan for her future is to earn enough to live far, far away from her embarrassing family. That is until Mateo Vincente, Duke of Santiava and newly minted Viscount Abbott, arrives in London...Categorized as:
slow burn victorian friends to lovers historical plain heroine regency office boss & employee -
![Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue by Julia Quinn]()
Romancing Mister Bridgerton: The 2nd Epilogue by Julia Quinn
We can't really say more without giving away a big, fat spoiler, but it turns out that Colin is a bit of a meddler, Hyacinth is more of a meddler, and the only time all of the Bridgertons stop talking at once is when Penelope has something really embarrassing to say. Hey, we never said it was easy to marry a Bridgerton, just that it was fun. -
![A Bride Unveiled by Jillian Hunter]()
A Bride Unveiled by Jillian Hunter
Violet Knowlton is betrothed to the sensible, if tedious, Sir Godfrey Maitland. When Godfrey escorts her to a fencing demonstration, she looks forward to the adventurous diversion, but everything changes when she realizes the swordsman displaying his skill-and dashing good looks- is none other than her childhood friend Kit...Categorized as:
friends to lovers working class hero fantasy historical regency open-door length-medium audiobook -
![Compromised by Kate Noble]()
Compromised by Kate Noble
Rated: 3.69 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn national bestselling author Kate Noble's “delectable and delightful”* historical romance debut, a pair of mismatched lovers unwillingly find themselves engaged in a most scandalous position… Miss Gail Alton was not having a good day. Or a good year. First, she’s strong-armed into attending the Season as a foil to her beautiful sister Evangeline...Categorized as:
friends to lovers virgin heroine m-f historical regency humor from hate to love forbidden love -
![The Professor by Charlotte Brontë]()
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë
The Professor is Charlotte Brontës first novel, in which she audaciously inhabits the voice and consciousness of a man, William Crimsworth. Like Jane Eyre he is parentless; like Lucy Snowe in Villette he leaves the certainties of England to forge a life in Brussels... -
![Lorna Doone by R. D. Madison, R. D. Blackmore]()
Lorna Doone by R. D. Madison, R. D. Blackmore
First published in 1869, Lorna Doone is the story of John Ridd, a farmer who finds love amid the religious and social turmoil of seventeenth-century England. He is just a boy when his father is slain by the Doones, a lawless clan inhabiting wild Exmoor on the border of Somerset and Devon...Categorized as:
victorian working class hero m-f historical fantasy regency forbidden love sunny hero -
![Beast by Judith Ivory]()
Beast by Judith Ivory
American heiress Louise Vandermeer has agreed to marry a European aristocrat. Her intended is rumored to be a hideously ugly man, a prospect that propels her into a reckless shipboard affair with a compelling stranger she never sees in the light of day... -
![Beast by Judith Ivory, Barbara Rosenblat]()
Beast by Judith Ivory, Barbara Rosenblat
Rated: 3.42 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsLENGTH -- 12 hrs and 40 mins. Judith Ivory's tantalizing romances are a hit with critics, readers, and fellow writers alike. When the brainy, luminous Louise Vandermeer embarks on a transoceanic quest to marry an aristocrat, she dives into a scorching affair with a stranger on the ship... -
![버려진 나의 최애를 위하여 [Beoryeojin Na-eui Choeaereul Wihayeo] by Seonyu Kim, 김선유](https://s3.amazonaws.com/romance.io/books/small/6651f60554bb5e7127d8549d.jpg)
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